Features » April 22, 2014

Why the GOP Really Fears Minimum-Wage Hikes

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Republicans are on the wrong side on this. Seventy-one percent of Americans would vote to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour if given the chance. And it’s happening. As Republicans in the House block President Obama’s proposal to increase the minimum to $10.10 an hour, states and cities are doing it themselves.

The GOP is so afraid that the nation’s lowest wage earners will get a raise that Republican politicians across the country are working overtime to outlaw wages above $7.25 an hour for these workers.

They’re passing legislation forbidding towns and counties from raising the minimum wage in their jurisdictions. Republicans insist: no pay bump for those raking in $15,080 a year! On the other side, however, there’s no amount of pay, perks, private jets, premium health plans and golden parachutes that Republican politicians believe could possibly be too much for a CEO.

That Oracle CEO Larry Ellison took home $78,440,657 last year is completely reasonable in the minds of Republicans. That it would take a minimum wage earner 5,201 years to earn what Larry took out of his company for one 365-day period is, according to Republican-think, a morally correct calculation.

Republican Mary Fallin, governor of Oklahoma, is among them. She signed a law last week forbidding towns in her state from increasing the minimum wage. Fallin, whose state lays claim to the third highest proportion of minimum wage earners in the country, a percentage that rose from 2011 to 2012, justified denying these workers a few extra pennies an hour by saying that would raise prices.

Republicans are on the wrong side on this. Seventy-one percent of Americans would vote to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour if given the chance, Gallup found last year. And it’s happening. As Republicans in the House block President Obama’s proposal to increase the minimum to $10.10 an hour, states and cities are doing it themselves.

They don’t believe that there are a dozen Wharton School MBAs who could take his place tomorrow and, frankly, sell hamburgers just as well for say, $280,000 rather than $28 million. They don’t see how his excessive pay might affect dividends to shareholders or the cost of fries. They’re blind to the fact that the majority of McDonald’s fans are willing to pay a few more cents for a Happy Meal if it means a higher wage for the struggling young mother serving the fast food.

Republicans don’t believe in paying a living wage to workers they disrespect, like the home health aides providing loving 24-hour care to the frail grandmas of GOP politicians across this country, like the housekeepers who clean GOP presidential hopefuls’ hotel rooms as they campaign across the nation, like the McDonald’s workers denied paid sick days who make extraordinary efforts not to cough on the fries that super-sized Republicans stuff in their faces.

They’re so much better than the heart surgeon who spends all day every day meticulously saving people’s lives. They’re 331 times as important as the firemen who rush into a burning home to save a woman’s life. They’re 331 time more valuable than the policemen and paramedics who ran toward the sound of an explosion a year ago in Boston to rescue bomb victims. To Republicans, those CEOs are 331 times more precious than the teacher who nurtures the shy child, encourages the faltering student or refuses to abandon the recalcitrant pupil.

Republicans’ fear of paying too much is terrible. Not because of GOP angst. No, because it causes underpaid workers to suffer. Because it means Republicans are so enthralled with the 1 percent who write supersized campaign checks that they devalue the contributions of everyday workers to the welfare of America. Because it means Republicans will continue to blockade efforts to resolve the growing income inequality that is rupturing the economy and the social cohesion of this nation.

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Leo Gerard is international president of the United Steelworkers Union, part of the AFL-CIO. The son of a union miner; Gerard started working at a nickel smelter in Sudbury, Ontario, at age 18, and rose through the union's ranks to be appointed the seventh international president Feb. 28, 2001. For more information about Gerard, visit usw.org.

I, too, am firm believer in the First amendment. And maybe, just maybe, you could stop insulting people who disagree with you because you think they are stupid. And come up with a cogent response filled with insight. You rather score points with your other online buddies to see how you can make fun of the rube hayseeds from the south or midwest. I do not watch Fox news or MSNBC. I know what I believe. I do not need any news media (all of whom are bought and paid for by somebody with an agenda) But its funny how most liberals only think Fox lies to its viewers. MSNBC would never lie to their viewers, would they?

When Fox says they are fair and balanced, that's a very crafty way of lying. On its surface, its sounds like they are going to fair and balanced with each story they present. Not true. They are fair and balanced, in that, they counter a media that is so far skewed to the left. They are there to balance the scales and give you the other side of the story. Problem is nobody listens to both sides any more. Liberals listen to liberals. Conservatives listen to conservatives.

I learned everything I need to about how economies and governments should work from Milton Friedman. (you can too...a bunch of his lectures and interviews are on youtube. If you are the 1st amendment supporter you claim to be, you should give those a listen) The problem is, we in this country have diverged so far from a free market economy since the 1930's, that its impossible to ever go back to that again.

So lets get to the point of this news story. The minimum wage is only necessary because the fed gov't spends so much money (in all areas)..money we don't have. SO they print more, devaluing it daily. Why do we need to raise the min wage?? because everything is more expensive. Why is everything more expensive? Because the dollars with which you would be spending are worth less daily. Why are the dollars worth less? Because your government (Dem and Rep equally) authorize spending bills that we have no real money to pay with. The Fed then prints more money to cash the empty checks they keep writing. Why does the Fed do this? Because they as a non govt agency are just the government's banker and they keep collecting the interest. Why do Dems and Reps alike keep passing bills to spend money we don't have? Because it ingratiates them to they people who keep reelecting them. Why are they allowed to do this? because Richard Nixon took us off the gold standard back in 1970 which allowed Congress to spend/print as much money as it wants with out regard to how much gold we have in reserve.

Which is great in times of national emergency but otherwise allows 536 people to spend more money that you could possibly ever imagine.

And it has shackled this country with a burden it will never be rid of...so long as we vote for anybody, Dem or Rep that thinks its OK to spend more than we have. And finally after digging a debt hole so deep that we'll may very well never get out of it, a group of concerned Americans finally find their voice, get organized and start demanding that this insanity stop. What happens? the left demonizes them a racists because it just so happens that the sitting President happens to be half black/half white. and at the same time, the Republican Party tries to co-opt them and absorb them back into the Republican party so that they will go away.

We can not go back to a non-minimum wage world, and we can not leave minimum wage permanently at the same number forever. Because of everything I laid out above. Not because of corporate greed. Minimum wage should be pegged ti inflation and increased by law every year 3-4% (whatever the CBO determines the overall rate of inflation to be)

Low wage jobs were never meant to sustain a whole family. Those jobs were meant for kids coming out of school to start getting some experience, maybe learn a trade and then move up the chain. We are only arguing about that because the economy is still so terrible that people are trying to survive on minimum wage jobs. and yes that sucks. During the worst of the current malaise, I had to support a family of four on $10/hr. I did so by being extremely frugal and working a lot of overtime. But that job provide me with experience to move up to a job that pays $18 after a couple of years.

If you've gotten this far (i know this is a bit long for these forums), congratulations! and many thanks for listening. that's a rare quality in this day and age.

Maybe you can give some of the more intelligent conservatives out there a fair shake before you right them off with the crazies.

Posted by CJP on 2014-04-29 10:03:32

Thanks for not helping, and good luck finding the truth..

Posted by Mark on 2014-04-28 21:17:37

As a firm believer in the First Amendment, I will support your right to post your stupid comments wherever you please. I'm glad that you make the effort to read In These Times(or perhaps you have a liberal friend read it to you)- you might actually learn something. But that's doubtful if you really think that Fox isn't lying to you.

Posted by Mark on 2014-04-28 21:15:19

Just here to challenge your stunted thought processes

I suppose its more comfortable when just left wing trolls all sit around and agree that corporations are all evil and their shills in the Republican party and over at Foxnews are lying to America so they can steal the next election

Posted by CJP on 2014-04-27 20:06:54

You can't be reasoned out of something you weren't reasoned into in the first place. Go ahead and keep propagating a false dichotomy. I can't help you...

Posted by Aaron Syrmopoulos on 2014-04-27 19:46:29

LOL!

Posted by Mark on 2014-04-27 19:37:46

What was your doctorate in? It certainly wasn't in common sense..yes, the right wingers are trying to keep wages below a certain level, hence the legislation in Wisconsin and Oklahoma. I'm touched that you want to see the minimum wage raised, how big of you. Good luck with your own trolling, perhaps if you gained a little sense it will go better for you.

Posted by Mark on 2014-04-27 19:36:09

That Oracle CEO Larry Ellison took home $78,440,657 last year is completely reasonable in the minds of Republicans.

That's more than half of what Oregon paid Oracle to develop our health insurance exchange (Cover Oregon) and they sold us a smoldering dung-heap. $130+ million in taxpayers' money that may as well have been burned. So much for the private sector, huh? Now let's talk about how wages should match productivity.

While emails KATU pored over point to possible delays, Karjala says Cover Oregon and Oracle remained in constant contact to fix on-going problems. Karjala said once they were made aware of issues, they increased communication with Oracle staffers to multiple times a day "checking the status in multiple areas of the project."

"That escalated over the course of the summer ultimately resulting in getting the top members of the Oracle company to be involved in this project," Karjala said. By 'top members' he means Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.

@Mark You are a troll. I am a native English speaker with a doctorate. The sentence I quoted, if true, would indicate that Republicans are actually trying to enact a "maximum wage", which is not the case.

The reason I recognize you as a troll is because you're not that good at it, but mostly because I actually agree with raising the minimum wage and understand that if it is going to happen the arguments need to be based on fact not hyperbole.

Good luck on your next trolling attempt. Maybe next time try not using such a shotgun technique.

Posted by Aaron Syrmopoulos on 2014-04-27 14:42:09

If you need paving done in Warsaw, he is your guy.

Posted by JOHNNYMITCHELL on 2014-04-27 13:48:54

Why are these right wing trolls on In These Times?

Posted by Mark on 2014-04-27 13:44:25

They believe in Supply Side Jesus..

Posted by Mark on 2014-04-27 13:24:38

Whatever you said, it probably still makes more sense than the right wingnuts who posted above.

Posted by Mark on 2014-04-27 13:17:18

Uh, no he didn't..try reading the entire article..or find someone to read it to you.

Posted by Mark on 2014-04-27 13:16:19

Got anything intelligent to post here? Because your sarcasm isn't adding anything to the discussion. How do idiots like you even manage to log onto the pc? Read a newspaper sometime, maybe then you'll understand what the GOP is up to.

Posted by Mark on 2014-04-27 13:14:52

Got news for you wingnut: they'll move to Red China because the workers are exploited. And one day when the Chinese nationalize they're businesses, they'll come running back to Uncle Sam. If you have any proof of Walmart paying ANYBODY $18/hour, post it. But you corporate types just want to whine about the poor coporations having to pay taxes. Real wages have been declin ing for 40 years, workers are waking up and they are fed up.

Posted by Mark on 2014-04-27 13:12:24

Shut your piehole. I'm an American and I agree with everything he said. If you think ANY corporation in the US is paying 35% taxes, you're living in a fantasy world.

Posted by Mark on 2014-04-27 13:08:02

What a brainless, right wing screed. Talk about dishonest, take a look in the mirror, scumbag. Minimum wage laws don't destroy jobs, that's just right wing hokum. And remember that as you loaf around on a weekend, you're doing that coutesy of some union guy who got beat up or murdered by cops or company thugs. You're the bozo..

Posted by Mark on 2014-04-27 13:05:41

Hey Leo, you're a Canadian, not an American. In America corporations pay 35% taxes. Only 15% in Canada. So STFU.

Posted by Cicero on 2014-04-26 19:02:06

This has got to be the most intellectually dishonest column I've read all year. Nobody is forcing anybody to work for $7.25 per hour. The law you're whining about simply says that the government can't stick its big fat nose into the negotiation process.

Anyone can earn an amount commensurate with their productivity. Minimum-wage laws are anti-freedom and ultimately destroy jobs. Way to help the bottom rungs of society, genius! But then, you're a union boss, so your motives are crystal clear: remove competition for your overpaid union workers. Lots of luck, bozo!

Posted by JdL on 2014-04-24 05:44:53

I still don't get how Republikans call themselves Christians . . .

Posted by Lynn on 2014-04-23 22:23:30

I will give you a perfect example of why this entire argument is false.

Right now up in Williston, SD They pay starting wage for a job at Walmart is $18/HR But that's not enough because to rent a 1 bedroom apt is $2000/month.

That's one thing you union types never like to admit exists Supply and demand. If you just blindly give people more money for the same work, they will spend it, yes. But stores will just raise their prices and you never get ahead. Those same stores that had to pay a arbitrary higher wage will make up for that lost profit by charging more for their products and services

You like to arbitrarily fixed the cost of labor against what the market will bear and then stand there stupefied when the business pulls up stacks and moves to China

Posted by CJP on 2014-04-23 11:40:59

Right. An entire political party is sociopathic, evil, sadistic and inclined to eat your granny and puppy for lunch, just for the pure T fun of it. Right, yeah, sure. And working against increasing minimum wage is exactly the same as working to increase CEO salaries. Yeah, right, sure.And the union raises that follow minimum wage increases more or less automatically because [skilled] union workers are theoretically X times as productive as unskilled minimum wage workers have nothing to do with this Steelworkers' Union official's diatribe. Sure, right, yeah. And unions are the best friends of minimum wage workers, largely minorities and women, and always have been. Yeah, right, sure.Expletive deleted.

Posted by Arthur Shuey on 2014-04-23 11:34:38

"Republican politicians across the country are working overtime to outlaw wages above $7.25 an hour..."